Replacing Jedi Consular in Arena?

Parableman

I've been running an Arena team of Luminara, Poggle, JC, Qui-Gon (L), and IG-86. Lumi and IG-86 are 7*. JC, Poggle, and Qui-Gon are 6*. all are gear level 8.

I'm getting to the point where I'm wondering if it's team composition or just plain power that's the issue for me. It's hard to get into the top 200, and I can't usually stay there until time to start working at it again the next day. I often end up in the upper 300s. Most of the teams I see are higher power than my team, except teams with Dooku, Yoda, or Poe, all of which are harder for me to beat even though they're lower power. Any team within 100 power of me I can usually handle if it doesn't have any of those characters, although there are a few that if several are present I worry (Vader, Kylo Ren, Rey,

So I'm wondering what I should modify to try to do better. I see a lot of advice that says JC isn't all that helpful. I find his fast cooldown on healing is immensely helpful, but I'm open to pulling him and putting someone else in. I'm just not sure who.

My best character not in use in Arena is Barriss at 71/6*/gear 8.

I have GS at 4*, and my shard farming for him has been put on halt for getting Mace Windu for getting Yoda to 6*. My GS is gear 8, and he is level 71.

I have a 5* Sidious at level 80 and gear 7. I have a 5* Phasma at 70 and 7.

I also have some lower-geared and lower-starred 70s. Old Daka(70). Rey (71), and RG (70) are 4*/gear 6. Mace Windu (70) is 5*/gear 4. Poe (70) is 4*/gear 5. Old Ben (70) is 4*/gear 4).

Others who might need more promotion and upgrades than those include Yoda at 5*, Nightsister Initiate, HK-47, Darth Vader, Kylo Ren, Finn, Anakin, IG-88, Teebo, Nute Gunray, Resistance Pilot, and Boba Fett at 4* and then FOTP, Han, Dooku, and Ahsoka at 3*.

My biggest worry is slippage overnight, and my second concern is getting better at getting higher when I'm actively playing. Any advice at working with these characters to do better at either would be welcome. I just don't have some of the obvious choices in great shape right now, and I'm not sure what the wisest investment of my resources toward developing other characters would be in the long run (besides Yoda) or what I can do in the meantime to try to get better rewards while I work on him.

Or do I just maintain the same team and gear them up more with the wall I've hit with 50 of each gear?

Jedi2407

No need for 2 healers. JC doesn't work in arena. For now, try QGJ (lead), Lumi, Poggle and 86. For your 5th, try GS or RG . Not sure if they are viable at 4*, but worth a try.

Long term, I'd focus on high DPS toons (Rey, GS, and FOTP). Also RG. I usually end up top 10 in arena, but I have serious problems with teams with Dooku (lead), RG, plus 3 DPS toons. 86 is good, but needs protection from other droids, Poggle and Poe.

Of course, the impending rebalancing could change all of this. For one, I don't see how they can't nerf Rey. She has the ability to one-shot a fully geared, 7* toon WITHOUT a crit or assist. That just seems absurd.

Parableman

If GS and RG don't work at 4*, is it worth sticking with JC for the short term, or should I go to someone like Sid until I can get GS to 5* (which won't be more than a week once the Jedi event is over)?

Jedi2407

I think 4* GS or 5* Yoda are more useful than JC. I would even put Daka above JC--at least you can get some stuns from her. JC's strength is that he can heal often...very useful in GW, but with the short arena matches, it's not very helpful. His attacks are about as "meh" as they come.

Freakazoid

Jedi2407 wrote: »

I think 4* GS or 5* Yoda are more useful than JC. I would even put Daka above JC--at least you can get some stuns from her. JC's strength is that he can heal often...very useful in GW, but with the short arena matches, it's not very helpful. His attacks are about as "meh" as they come.

I don't really agree with saying a 4* GS is better than a 6* JC. While JC is meh, a 4* GS isn't too much better.

OP, I would probably actually recommend any of a few options: I would definitely make QGJ lead. You can potentially keep JC, or even better play around with RG as a replacement. A 4* RG still has a sizable healthpool, and can protect your other characters.

You also have a better grasp on if Poggle is providing you any benefit, but I *feel* that whatever benefit he's providing you is minimal. Replacing Poggle with Barriss and RG for JC may have decent results.

I definitely don't feel like the 4* GS is going to give you much good though, you can experiment with the replacement, but I'm assuming you're fighting almost all 7 star toons.

Jedi2407

Freakazoid wrote: »

Jedi2407 wrote: »

I think 4* GS or 5* Yoda are more useful than JC. I would even put Daka above JC--at least you can get some stuns from her. JC's strength is that he can heal often...very useful in GW, but with the short arena matches, it's not very helpful. His attacks are about as "meh" as they come.

I don't really agree with saying a 4* GS is better than a 6* JC. While JC is meh, a 4* GS isn't too much better.

I would compare the stats. But in any case, GS's special calls for an assist. Would be a pretty strong hit if assist was from 86 or QGJ, and that goes off every other time turn.

Parableman

I used GS yesterday in Arena instead of JC. I did fine, but I'd fallen so far (basically into the 500s) that I could only get into the 200s but not back into the top 200. As of this morning I'm in the 300s, so I haven't fallen as far (at least yet) as I did the previous night/day while awaiting my Arena time. I haven't always fallen that far, though. Today's more typical of what it has been.

I'm going to try RG today and maybe Barriss too without GS or JC to see how that goes. GS is a bit squishy at 4*, but having three characters with assists was very nice. I didn't mind not having JC's heal, so I guess my main reason to hold on to him is gone. GS even on the basic attack does more damage, and that made a difference. I'm not happy with Daka. Her heal doesn't strike me as all that helpful, and RG stuns much more frequently than she does, so he's obviously the better choice given his much better health. I don't think his attack is lower than hers, either, but I should check the stats.

I think I'll have GS at 5* by Sunday or Monday, so that changes things. I'm about halfway through that, but I was putting it aside to get my Jedi ready for Yoda today, and I'm just making that in time. Mace Windu is at 84/85, and I have him available in shipments in case my Cantina energy doesn't do the trick in time. I probably have one more shot at that, and if it fails I can use my crystals to get the Mace shipment. I've even been devoting most of my regular energy for the last couple days to gearing my Jedi up, so everything has been on hold for a little bit. GS is the only one among those I've been talking about here that's ready for a new star upgrade, other than Yoda, who I'm hoping to get up to 6* in the next couple hours. If I succeed at that, I suppose that changes the whole discussion, and I can just try him on the Arena team. I haven't been leveling him up even much (he's in his 50s maybe and something like gear level 4 or 5), because I didn't think 5* Yoda would be all that helpful.

Parableman

So I just got my Yoda to 6*. It only took one try (against two Jedi temple guards; no idea if they're easier than other opponents, since I don't know them all that well -- I've beaten every Yoda mission so far on the first try and haven't had a chance to compare opponents).

At this point I'm thinking maybe I should use 6* Yoda on my Arena team. Any advice on team composition if I do that? Is RG still a good fit? Or should I still use Qui-Gon, Lumi, 86, and Poggle? Once I get GS 5*, should he replace Poggle maybe?